Winter, 1998
We've come a long way, baby: The CNRC turns 20
Back in the days when the Beach Boys were 'in,' breastfeeding babies
was nearly 'out.' But, baby, the times they were a-changin.'
"One of the lasting legacies of the late '60s was a resurgence
in breastfeeding," said Dr.
Judy Hopkinson , a lactation physiologist with the CNRC and
an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.
In 1970, less than 14 percent of infants in the U.S. were breast-fed
at 2 months of age. By the time the CNRC received it's first USDA
grant in 1978, that number had jumped to nearly 35 percent - the
highest level in over 20 years.
According to Hopkinson, evidence had existed for many years that
breast-fed babies had fewer bouts of diarrhea and fewer and less
severe ear, respiratory, and urinary tract infections. But it was
not until the mid-1980s, when researchers identified specific components
in human milk that appeared to protect against infection, that more
physicians began to accept breastfeeding as the better way to feed
infants.
Human milk composition, infant and maternal energy needs, and body
composition studies were among the earliest CNRC research projects.
"Results from these early studies showed that after the first
few months of life breast-fed infants consumed fewer calories and
grew a bit more slowly than formula-fed infants. So the question
was raised: Does breast milk provide adequate nutrition for the
first 6 months of life? Our research proved that it did," Hopkinson
said.
The special needs of premature infants moved breast milk research
into the neonatal intensive care unit. Dr. Richard Schanler, a CNRC
neonatologist and professor of pediatrics at Baylor, helped develop
human milk fortifiers in the late 1980s. These fortifiers provided
physicians with a way to give premature infants the protective benefits
of breast milk, while also meeting their special nutritional needs.
"There is good evidence to support that providing human milk
to premature infants has contributed to a reduction in the incidence
of serious infection," Schanler said.
A breastfeeding support system for the mothers of premature infants
at Texas Children's Hospital followed the successful development
of human milk fortifiers.
"Before long, it became clear that mothers of full-term infants
needed lactation support as well," Hopkinson said. As a result,
lactation support is now available to all new mothers in the hospital
as well as out-patient clinics.
Today, CNRC breastfeeding research focuses on the benefits to the
health of the mother as well as the long-term health of her child,
and social marketing research designed to increase breastfeeding
rates in underserved populations.
"The more we learn about the benefits and physiology of breastfeeding,
the more we can help medical professionals and policy makers support
breastfeeding mothers and infants," Hopkinson said.
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